Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open, prolonging her absence from the tennis tour because of an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain.

Rory McIlroy will aim to show he has learnt the lesson of two years ago when he goes head-to-head with Luke Donald in Dubai on Thursday.

He has had a season with more than its usual share of disappointments but the irrepressible Rafael Nadal ended it here yesterday in a manner of which he could only have dreamed: lying on his back in celebration on his beloved red clay after striking the winning blow for Spain in the final of the Davis Cup. Nadal's 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 victory over Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro (right), after a four-hour match full of drama, secured Spain's fifth Davis Cup triumph in the last 12 years.

World No 2 battles back against Argentina's Del Potro to clinch Davis Cup final triumph

Normal service has been resumed. Five months after Roger Federer was beaten by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Wimbledon, when he lost from two sets up for the first time in 179 Grand Slam matches, the Swiss and the Frenchman experienced different fortunes as they met again in London yesterday. The opening round-robin match of the ATP World Tour Finals here ended in a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory for Federer, who is chasing a record sixth victory in the season-ending finale.

You would not normally expect a player to share the secrets of his success with his rivals, but Roger Federer is a generous sort. As he prepares for his last tournament of the year at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which begin in London on Sunday, the 30-year-old Swiss believes he can teach other players a thing or two about how to pace yourself through a season.

Two months after there were suggestions of possible strike action by players, Roger Federer and his colleagues are looking as likely to man the picket lines as this week's Paris Masters is to offer chip butties and mugs of tea for lunch. After Andy Murray admitted here that plans for players to discuss their grievances had got "nowhere", Federer himself said that he did not believe a strike was necessary and that such talk was "absurd".

Donald Young's talent has been recognised ever since he became the youngest boy to finish a season as the world's top-ranked junior. Six years on, his potential is at last being realised.

The crowds here at the US Open like players who show emotion. They are not too fussed about style or elegance, but love scrappers who fight to the end and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Elena Baltacha's US Open is over but the 28-year-old Briton will take only positives from her Grand Slam year.

Andy Murray had said he needed to save his best tennis for the latter stages, but everybody thought he was referring to the tournament rather than individual matches.

Novak Djokovic dropped only two games in thrashing hapless Argentinian Carlos Berlocq 6-0 6-0 6-2 in the second round of the US Open tonight.

Elena Baltacha has had the best year of her career on the biggest stages but her US Open campaign ended in disappointment here last night when she was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Svetlana Kuznetsova. The 28-year-old Briton, who has reached the second round of each Grand Slam event this year, got off to a flying start but was unable to match the quality or the power of her Russian opponent.